So Everyone who is thinking about keto hears all about the dreaded Keto Flu.   So here are some facts about it.

First — a LITTLE SURPRISE — NOT EVERYONE WILL GET IT OR HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT

Keto flu is mostly just an electrolyte imbalance.   If you ate a GARBAGE diet before of fast food and tons of sugar and processed food and sugar soda and sugary coffee drinks — GUESS WHAT — you are probably going to feel a bit crappy when you start keto.  It isn’t so much the keto as your horrible habits.  Your body is used to tons of sugar and getting it all the time.  It is also used to large volumes of carbs, both simple and complex.  So your body knows to store a lot of water to deal with those carbs and it also knows that it can make glucose super easy because you are dumping in sugar fuel all day long.   So if you hit the Starbucks for a grande sugar bomb on your way to work and then have a breakfast sandwich loaded with carbs and then some fruit and then a lunch of a sandwich and some chips and home for dinner to a pasta and bread — guess what — YOU ARE PROBABLY GETTING THE KETO FLU

But don’t worry, it will subside once your body figures out your new way of eating.   First though, your body is going to dump a ton of water as you stop eating all those carbs and sugar.  Your body is a scientific machine, it knows that it no longer needs all that water to process all those carbohydrates so it releases it.   That is why people report an increase in urination when they first start keto.  It is also why your first week on keto can have pretty dramatic weight loss numbers for some people.

Now, this is not the case for everyone.  If you ate fairly healthy before and were not a carb-a-holic, your results could be less dramatic.  Of course the UPSIDE IS THAT YOU MAY NOT GET THE KETO FLU or that if you do, it will be mild.

There is usually an easy fix for most people — ELECTROLYTES

You can get a lot of your electrolytes from food and some of the best foods for this are some keto faves —  nuts and avocado.

First — a warning about electrolytes.  They play a CRUCIAL ROLE in your body so don’t just mess with them willy nilly.   They work in balance so you cannot just “add pickle juice” or “add magnesium” and be fine.  And for some people (people on medication and people with chronic conditions like blood pressure and heart issues — you need to BE VERY CAREFUL AND SPEAK TO YOUR DOCTOR before starting keto and before supplementing with electrolytes)

The main electrolytes that keto affects are magnesium, sodium and potassium.   There are a host of smaller electrolytes as well but these are the big 3 that people on keto usually have issues with and they are usually the cause of the keto flu.

If you eat avocados and nuts — you will feel better as both have a ton of these electrolytes.

And magnesium can be aided with a lotion for a lot of people as a lot of magnesium supplements can cause digestive upset and you don’t need “exploding pants” while you are also dealing with the keto flu.

Personally I just drink Ultima — it has all the electrolytes in balance and is strict keto.  If you are dirty keto, you can also drink Gatorade zero but it may not have enough if you are not feeling well.

 

There are also some other options that are strict keto as well like Dr Berg.  Dr Berg is also a great follow on youtube if you are just learning.  A video a day can make you super keto smart!!

Some people swear by LMNT as an electrolyte supplement and perhaps I just haven’t found my flavor yet but I preferred the Ultima as it is more mild flavors.

 

It is really personal choice.   Some people make their own keto-aid from recipes – personally I am a NO for that as it just seems messy and who came up with the recipe and it is a taste thing.  And some people swear by pickle juice which is an old-fashioned dehydration helper.  Personally I am a NO on pickle juice as it is very hard on your teeth and it only addresses sodium so it could throw your balance off even more.  Same goes with people who just stuff in a magnesium supplement, it doesn’t address the other electrolytes.

So if you are considering keto, look into a PLAN for what you might do — you may not even have an issue if you eat right!!   But be prepared to take action if you feel like crap and you can bounce back very quickly once you get your hydration and electrolytes sorted out.

Best of luck and keto on!!